The present invention relates to the design of a brewing head unit/assembly of a coffee machine comprising locking means for detachable attachment of a cabinet- or drawer-like filter holder to the brewing head unit of the coffee machine.
The locking mechanisms employed or used by most existing pump espresso or steam espresso machines are not very user friendly. With many existing machines, it can be very cumbersome for the user to locate and attach the filter holder unit onto the locking mechanism of the brewing head unit/assembly of a coffee machine. Generally, the filter holder units for espresso machines have a brewing tray, having a radially-projecting handle, which is inserted into a pot-shaped filter insert. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,962. With such a design, the user initially would need to put the coffee ground into the stainless steel filter and then place or insert the filter into the filter holder. Next, the user would need to find the fitting slot(s) on the brewing head unit, attach the filter unit to the brewing head unit, and turn the filter unit to lock the filter unit onto the brewing head unit. As a result, the user frequently has to spend more time than necessary to locate the locking position on the brewing head unit.
Moreover, a traditional pump espresso or steam espresso machine uses either a boiler or a thermal block heating system which is mounted on top of the brewing head or shower and locking mechanism. With this design, the hot water from the heating system would flow directly to the filter.
There are drawbacks to mounting the boiler or the thermal block heating system on or above the brewing head unit, including:    1. The weight of the heating system on top of the brewing head unit will increase the force required to open the brewing head, rendering it less user-friendly.    2. When the heating system is fixed on top of the brewing head unit, it creates a constraint on the design of the locking mechanism.
In contrast, the present invention relates to a user-friendly and simpler mechanism for locking the filter holder, whereby the mechanism comprises a pivotable upper brewing head section and a lower brewing head section fixedly attached to the brewing head assembly. The lower brewing head section comprises a housing which can be adapted to receive various types filter holders and/or capsules. In one embodiment, the filter holder (movable part) is placed on the bottom of or is separated from the brewing head assembly. The movable part of the locking assembly is located on the top and the fixed part is located on the bottom, so the user can slide or swing the filter holder unit into the brewing head unit.
In another embodiment, the brewing head unit has a cabinet filter holder and boiler or heating system which is not placed on top of the brewing head unit, but rather is separated from the brewing head unit. For instance, the boiler or the heating system may be placed side-by-side with the brewing head locking mechanism. The boiler and brew head of the invention are operatively connected by Teflon or other suitable hose. The primary advantage of having a boiler or heating system which is separate from the brewing heat unit is that the brew head unit does not have to carry the weight of the boiler, thus enabling the design of the locking mechanism to be more flexible, versatile, and/or dynamic.
Essegielle S. r. l, et al., European Patent Application No. 97118294.4, Filed Oct. 21, 1997 relates to a device wherein the coffee pan is attached to a boiler located above the coffee pan by inserting the coffee pan along a sliding guide and rotating the coffee pan. However, the Essegielle, et al. device still requires the boiler to be placed on top of the brew head. Essegielle, et al discloses a two-step process for placing or inserting and locking the coffee pan. Essegielle, et al further discloses a coffee pan which slides into the annular body and a handle which is turned with the annular body to lock the coffee pan to the boiler. The present invention only requires the detachable cabinet filter holder to be placed in the coffee machine. A handle is rotated downward to lock the brewing head to form a water- and pressure-tight seal. Moreover, in the present invention, the boiler is not placed on the top of the brew head.
It is another object of the present invention to eliminate the main hassles of inserting the filter holder into the brewing head unit. The present invention relates to a new design which uses an easy-to-fit cabinet design as the filter holder. The user simply has to place the filter into the filter holder since there is no longer any need for the user to search blindly for the locking position. This cabinet design concept can be applied to all types of pressurized espresso machines. There are at least 5 ways to place the cabinets into the machines and can be performed as follows:    1. Slide the cabinet filter holder into the brewing head unit from the front;    2. Slide the cabinet filter holder into the brewing head unit from the sides;    3. Slide the cabinet filter holder into the brewing head unit from the rear;    4. Swing the cabinet filter holder in or out about a pivot fixed to the brewing head unit; or    5. Insert the cabinet filter holder into the brewing head unit from the top.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a motor is used to operate the locking mechanism and/or the cabinet filter holder without any manual intervention so that the entire movement of the cabinet filter holder unit or the locking or the opening of the brewing head assembly or unit would require less effort and, thus, be more convenient for the user. In an additional embodiment, the movement of the cabinet and/or the locking mechanism is effectuated by a motor which is operated by a remote control.
Table 1 below summarizes the key differences between the filter holder mechanism according to the existing state of the art and the cabinet filter holder of the present invention.
TABLE 1DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE FILTER HOLDER MECHANISMACCORDING TO THE EXISTING STATE OF THE ART AND THECABINET FILTER HOLDER OF THE PRESENT INVENTIONExistingCabinet FilterPressurizedHolder Mechanism OfFilter HolderThe PresentMechanismInventionBoiler or thermalIt needs to be on topThe boiler or thermalblockof the brew head andblock does not have toabove the filterbe on the top of theholder.brew head.It can even beseparated from thebrewing headassembly or unit orplaced side by sidewith the lockingmechanism.Filter holderThe user would needThe new cabinet can befittingto fumble to locateslid in from theit and then wouldfront, side, or rear,need to lock theor swung out, orholder in place byinserted from theturning it from lefttop. The movement ofto right or right tothe cabinet can beleft.automated by a motorto drive/control themovement. The motorcan be operated byremote control.Where to place theInvolves fumblingDirect/immediatelyfilter holderby the user.visibleLocking methodLock by swing fit ofRotate to Lock systemthe filter holder.
Fond, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,472, relates to a system for extracting a substance contained in a sachet, which includes a lower member containing the sachet housing, a water supply member, and a locking lever. The lower member and the water supply member are closed or locked by engaging the hooks on the arm of the locking lever on the corresponding rods. The main purpose of the Fond, et al. is to provide a method and device for extracting substances for the preparation of a beverage contained in a sealing flexible sachet without opening the sachet before placing it in the sachet holder. The present invention can use or brew coffee grounds contained within a sachet or coffee grounds without a sachet having a pre-determined shape. The lower member of the Fond et al device is fixed, whereas the present invention has an upper member, i.e., rotate to lock assembly, which can move upward to allow a lower member, i.e., the filter holder assembly to be retrieved.
Mariller, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,490,966, relates to a device for extracting the contents in a capsule consisting of two independent and identical clamping elements, where each clamping element contains half of a housing for the capsule, and a lever system for moving both clamping simultaneous between open and closed positions. The Mariller device places a capsule in vertical position, therefore requiring the clamping members to produce greater clamp force to form a water-tight seal. In contrast, the brewing head of the present invention can use a coffee pod or capsule placed in the horizontal position. The brewing head of the present invention does not require two clamping members. To form a pressure- and water-tight seal, a movable upper member is lowered against the detachable stationery filter holder assembly.
Kollep, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,698,332, relates to a device for extracting a substance for the preparation of a drink, which includes a fixed piece and a second piece movable relative to the first piece about an axis of rotation lying at the rear to two pieces. The front-end of the two pieces contain a cavity for the substance to be extracted, and the device also includes a system for opening and closing the two pieces. However, the lower part of the Kollep, et al. device is fixed and cannot be removed for cleaning.
Domel SA/AG, et al., European Patent Application No. 93101764, filed Feb. 5, 1993, relates to a drawer device containing a container/filter holder. The container/filter holder can be raised upward with a handle in a non-rotating fashion against a facing gasket fixed above the drawer device to form a water-tight seal. The drawer in Domel, et al. is locked by rotating the control body. The movement of the container-filter holder is vertical, but the vertical movement requires the rotation of the control body. In contrast, the brewing head of the present invention only moves the upper member, i.e., the rotate to lock assembly. The lower member, i.e., the support base, of the brewing head of the present invention is fixed, but the filter holder assembly containing the filter can be removed completely for cleaning. Furthermore, the Domel, et al. device is only designed for coffee bags. The present invention is designed to use both ground coffee and coffee bags.
Torriani, U.S. Pat. No. 1,750,068, relates to a device containing a circular filter-carrier adapted to slide in and out of a window. The filter-carrier is locked by rotating a collector below the filter-carrier to force the filter-carrier upward against the upper portion of the brew head. The device in the Torriani patent has the design of a traditional espresso machine. The filter carrier can slide in and out, but to lock the filter carrier still requires blindly turning the thread on the collector.
Hatz, U.S. Pat. No. 811,979, relates to a device for preparing coffee, which includes a pressure cooker for forcing heated water to the coffee percolator by stream pressure. The Hatz device uses a different method to prepare the coffee. Hatz uses a pressure cooker instead of a boiler system. Hatz also uses a preculator instead of the filter holder. The pressure cooker requires a stove or heating device to heat up the water. The coffee machine of the present invention uses electricity to bring the water to boil.
The foregoing objects and advantages of the present invention are illustrative of that which can be achieved by the present invention and are not intended to be exhaustive or limiting of the possible advantages which can be realized. Thus, these and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description herein or can be learned from practicing the invention, both as embodied herein or as modified in view of any variation which may be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the present invention resides in the novel methods, arrangements, combinations, and improvements herein shown and described.